Christmas break

Christmas in Popenguine was lovely. It is such a treat to sit on the shore, listening to the waves rumbling against the sand. And church bells mingling with the Muslim call to prayer. My idea of a good time nowadays is a glass of wine and stuffing myself with food, none of which are rice! So I ate a lot, and it was fabulous. Coming to the regional house is an opportunity to be American for a few days, to cook my own meals exactly how I want, to speak English with people who understand the ideas I'm trying to express, to watch a movie or two, and detox. As well as go to the bank, the post office, the grocery store, the market, and a variety of other big-city chores that can only be accomplished away from my tiny village. Also, the full-length mirror provides the opportunity for a "state-of-the-union" look at myself. I look okay, though signifigantly less clean than I was back home on a regular basis. But it's funny, because I have only a compact mirror in my hut, so I sometimes go days without taking a real look at myself. We admire our appearance multiple times a day back home, and here it ceases to matter. Tomorrow morning I head back home. While it's nice to get away sometimes, I know I'm in a good site, because whenever I approach my village after a short time away I can't help but smile, and I quicken my pace when I see the little hat-shaped thatched roofs peeking out from behind the brushy trees. So I'm looking forward to that, but not the ride to Nioro. I try to take a 7-place taxi which gets me there faster than the mini-busses, though still it is never comfortable to be crammed into a car with six other passengers (plus a driver) dodging potholes and occasionally off-roading on the way to the garage. A run-of-the-mill public transportation experience!